No Surprise
by Rowana Renee
Summary: A simple mistake leads to a very misleading tale of misunderstanding. Yes, this is romantic! Ugh...I can write romance if I set my mind to it...


**I pray that this doesn't suck. I just had to re-type the whole blasted thing because this website is so retared that it couldn't handle me pressing "Italicize" and so it decided to deleat the whole stinking thing! Ugh...I've only just gotten it to quit typing Arabic...and finally quit crying. It was AWFUL! *Continues to sob uncontrolably***

**And updates will actually most likely be on total hold for a bit; I've suddenly found myself almost totally relieved of the use of my right arm, not to mention the fact that I think I hear a dragon egg hatching inside of a soda can. O_O (Don't ask) **

* * *

Will was getting nervous as he sat on his porch, staring out into space and cradling a cup of coffee, which had long since gotten cold, in his hands. He was muttering the same words to himself, over and over again, making sure that he had them totally memorized. He didn't want to make a fool of himself, especially not when he had to tell Alyss something so imortant. But then, he also wanted to be fairly quick about it, as he didn't want to make things any worse than they probably already would be.

He knew that he should have already left, to tell her already and be done with it, but he also knew that it had to be done just right, so that they'd both know how the other felt and could move on. He didn't want to do it too quickly, because that would do more damage than good anyway. He groaned slightly in despair; he didn't know what he should do.

It was late evening in Seacliff, the sky was a deepening light blue and the moon shone pale and barely visible against it. Will eyes flickered around as he watched the scarce few bugs that were out fly around. That was one of the things that was so nice about Seacliff; hardly any insects because of the ocean. Too bad that Will wouldn't be able to enjoy it anymore, what with what he had to tell Alyss.

_I've practiced this for hours, gone 'round and round,  
And now I think that I've got it all down.  
And, as I say it louder, I love how it sounds,  
'Cause I'm not taking the easy way out._

Of course, Alyss would probably agree completely with him, as things seemed to have been building to this for some time now. He knew that what he had to tell her might make her upset, and probably would, actually, and that they may not even be able to be friends anymore afterwards. He hated that he was the one who would have to make the move that would end the game they'd been playig for so long.

He and Alyss had always gotten along well, even before their feelings had turned into what they both thought was love, and then turning into somethin that couln't be explained at all, and now all of that was about to go away, and possibly be replaced with pure loathing on both sides. It was quite depressing, really.

_Not wrappin' this in ribbons,  
Shouldn't have to give a reason why._

Wills' eyes widened for a moment as he realized that he'd sat there, thinking about it, for so long that there were now fireflies flying around in a otherwise dark space, the higher areas of the sky dotted with stars and, a little higher, the moon, shining white and pure down upon the decidedly gloomy nighttime atmosphere.

He wondered, as he gazed around, how badly Alyss would take it. She didn't seem like the type to go into hysterics or anything quite so melodramatic, but she could still take it the wrong way, and Will didn't want that at all. Of course, Will didn't really want anything that made Alyss unhappy, but this was something he had to do. Alyss had more or less told him already that she felt the same way, and now he felt obligated to tell her that he agreed on that feeling. But he was nervous as to how to tell her, how could he tell her that he didn't wish to be her friend any longer, even if she did wholeheartedly agree? It was at times like these that Will wished for a more simple life, where everything was yes or no, without any eloquence in between to make things harder.

He knew, though, that he'd better get a move on. If he was ever going to tell her that their relationship was over, then he'd best leave in the morning, lest he'd never do it and they'd both wind up the worse for it. He stood up, yawning tiredly yet still feeling rather dull and almost lifeless, and headed back into his cabin, dreading what was to come the following morning.

_It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow,  
I can't believe I stayed 'til today!  
Yeah, you and I will be a tough act to follow,  
But, I know in time, we'll find that this was no surprise._

* * *

Will paused, slowing Tug to a complete stop as he crested the hill. He sighed to himself; it was such a lovely day in Redmont, and he was going to ruin it with what he had to tell Alyss. She was going to hate him after this, he just knew it. Why did it have to be so sunny today, with the green of the grass and the colours of the flowers all so bright that it was nearly blinding? Why did there have to be that wonderful, gentle Summer breeze that kept blowing and lightly kissing anyone who crossed its path, that kept sweeping flower petals into the air for a twirling, swirling dance? And why on Earth did it have to be such a nice day in general?

Will heaved another sigh, looking down at Tug, well, the space between Tugs' ears anyway, and petting the pony gently. "She's going to hate me, boy, you know she is." he half-whispered. He knew that he shouldn't be getting so worked up about the whole thing, Alyss would probably give him a simple answer, probably one in his favour, actually, and then everything would be fine. But then, in the back of his mind, there was that naggin feeling that it was going to go horribly.

He glanced down in the other direction, his eyes traveling from where castle Redmont, and its village, lay, across a small field to the edge of the woods, where his best friend, mentor, and practical father lived. Perhaps Halt could help him in this time of need.

_It came out like a river once I let it out,  
When I thought that I wouldn't know how.  
I held onto it forever, pushing it down,  
Felt so good to let go of it now._

"You're going to what?"

Will nodded miserably. "And she's going to hate me!"

Halt raised an eyebrow. "Why would she hate you? It's not your fault, after all, it was inevitible, couldn't be avoided."

Will looked like he was about to cry. "But she'll get upset, and then she'll get angry-"

Halt sighed. "Will, girls always get upset about this sort of thing. I've never heard of one who didn't cry or turn murderous; it's part of their logic."

The two rangers sat across from each other at Halts' kitchen table, each of them holding a steaming mug of black coffee, Wills' containing honey and Halts' just containing pure Hibernian Blend.

Halt shook his head, actually a little sympathetic for his apprentice, but at the same time, also a little teasing. "You know she's going to cry. How could you do something like this to her? It's almost disgusting. You should be ashamed. Besides," he continued, "She does like you."

Will nodded. "And I like her, but..."

Halt smirked. "I know. But, before you do something stupid, are you sure that this isn't something that you'll get over eventually? You'll still feel the same way, say, a week from now? Your feelings aren't going to change, no matter what, how long, or anything like that?"

_Not wrappin' this in ribbons,  
Shouldn't have to give a reason why._

Will shook his head. "Of course my feelings aren't going to change!"

Halt sighed and sat back in his chair. "Even when you consider what happened in Kerens' tower? Have you thought of that?"

Will nodded. "Yes, I've thought of that. I remember everything that was said and done, but I still feel the same way."

Halt blinked. "And, you know that this sort of thing is a delicate matter, not to be taken lightly?"

Will nodded again. "I know. And I feel terrible about it!"

"You're supposed to. How it goes down can affect what you two think of each other for the rest of your lives, depending on how she takes it."

Will winced. "I know. Should I just let her tell me?"

Halt shook his head. "No, of course not! You're the man, Will, it's your job to tell her, and then, she might see it the same way you do. But, if not, you can at least hope that you two can still be friends."

"So, how should I tell her?"

Halt shrugged. "Well, you're going to want to rush things, get it over with as soon as possible. But you've got to remember, she's a girl. That means you'll have to take her nature into consideration. You'll need to slow the whole thing down and word it very carefully, because I can assure you, females never forget this sort of thing, and they're always looking for you to do something that they can exagerate to make you look stupid when they re-tell the story to their group of friends. They do that sort of things. I think girls get together to talk about us and cry a lot every few weeks or so, so it'll get mentioned a lot if you mess this up. You'd best be careful."

Will nodded. "So I just need to act normal until the right moment?"

"That'll do it."

Will gave a small, rather forced smile. "Thanks for the advice. Pray for me, alright? I might not come back."

_It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow,  
I can't believe I stayed 'til today!  
There's nothing here, in this heart, left to borrow,  
There's nothing here, in this soul, left to say._

* * *

Will paused hesitantly outside of Alyss' door, hand poised to knock, but at the same time not feeling quite ready. He hoped that she wouldn't get terribly upset about this, and that she'd take it the way he hoped she would, and not the way he was dreading she would. After all, he'd hate to lose even being her friend over this one, stupid, trivial little thing. But then, he also wanted to get this over with and, if she took it the way he thought she would, part ways once more and try to forget the whole thing.

He finally knocked on the door and almost wished he hadn't. He was about to leave, when the door didn't open after a few seconds, but then there Alyss was, at first looking friendly and welcoming, and then looking absolutely radiant in that she seemed to be genuinly pleased to see him standing there, on her doorstep, totally unannounced and unexpected.

"Will!" she cried happily, hugging him

Will felt a small pang of guilt, dreading what was to come even more than before. "Alyss," he said shyly. He looked around and could see that evening had nearly fallen, that it was starting to get dark. "Um, will you come to our...uh...secret place...with me? I've got something important to...uh..."

Alyss nodded. "I'll come. What are you so nervous about?"

Will shook his head, forcing a smile. "You'll see when we get there." he said, motioning to Tug.

_Don't be surprised when we hate this tomorrow,  
Lord knows we tried to find an easier way.  
Yeah, you and I will be a tough act to follow,  
But I know, in time we'll find that, this is no surprise._

Will permitted himself a grin of actual pleasure as he felt Alyss wobble a little behind him, her grip around his waist tightening a little as she regained balance after the initial surprise of Tugs' trotting gait; this seemed so normal, not at all like anything odd or frightening, or scary was about to happen. Ha, as if the events could predict what mood they should portray up until the event itself.

Will didn't know why he hadn't been able to just say what he needed to say while he was at the door, there and then sealing the already set-in-stone fate that was sure to take place. Perhaps it was that happy look that Alyss had gotten upon seeing him, or maybe it was the fact that he was scared he'd never see that look again. Or maybe it was the fact that he wanted to prolong the moment of awkwardness and probably humiliation that was coming for as long as he possibly could before totally ruining it. He was pretty sure that he'd never been more terrified in his life.

He slowed Tug to a standstill, murmering softly to the pony as they came to a stop.

_"Oh, get on with it." _Tug seemed to say

Will glowered at the horse as he dismounted, then stepped to the side to help Alyss get down. He knew that she really didn't need any help in the least, but it was something he'd always done, so he figured that, though odds were they wouldn't be having any more outings, he might as well not stop doing it now.

They were in a small clearing in the forest, a perfect little spot in the woods where there was a large gap in the trees, perfect for lying on ones' back and gazing up at the stars whilst talking about whatever useless information drifted into ones' mind. Will and Alyss had been coming here for years, though lately they hadn't because, of course, Will had been assigned to Seacliff and thus wasn't around very often.

Will was startled out of his thoughts when he felt Alyss' touch on his arm. She was giving him an odd look, almost worried. Oh no, she couldn't possibly know, could she? There was no way she knew what he was about to say! All of those months and months of trying to find the right thing to say without hurting her feelings, and now she already knew and was trying to compose herself before he said anything so she could tell him that she really did absolutely hate him. "Will? Are you alright? You look a little worried..."

_Our favourite place we used to go,  
That warm embrace that nobody knows,  
That friendly look that's left your eyes,  
That's why it comes as no, as no surprise._

Will shook his head. "It's nothing yet." he replied, taking a blanket out of Tugs' saddle bag and laying it on the ground, spreading it out as smoothly as possible.

They sat there in silence for awhile, looking up at the sky and eventually watching fireflies gather, the tiny, glowing insects looking like small bubbles of light that floated around as if by magic in the starry expance that was the roof of the world, as some called it.

Will cast Alyss a sideways glance and once again felt terrible, wondering if he could possibly put this off for another lifetime or so, just to avoid upsetting her or ruining this type of moment. After all, they were both reasonably happy to just be around each other, and he knew that with what he was about to say, they might not even be able to stand each others' presense in the future.

It seemed like he'd barely blinked and already around an hour had passed. He glanced over at Alyss, who seemed to have fallen asleep, and sighed to himself; did he really want to risk her getting angry with him about this? Not really, but then, he couldn't never do it, or the desision in itself might cause trouble later.

But, he was so nervous that ignoring the problem completely seemed like a nice option as well. With another sigh he stood up and walked over to Tug, putting the saddle back onto the pony and wondering if he should wake Alyss and tell her that it was time to go home.

_It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow,  
I can't believe I stayed until today.  
Yeah, you and I will be a tough act to follow,  
But in time we'll find that this was no surprise._

Will looked back at Alyss yet again and then he knew that he couldn't put it off anymore; it had to be now or never, and there was no question in his mind any longer about which it was going to be. He walked slowly over to Alyss and knelt beside her, not sure if he should wake her or let her wake up on her own.

"Alyss?" he whispered, keeping his voice as quiet as he could while retaining the chance of being heard.

Alyss' eyes slowly blinked open, and she stared at him for a moment, confused for a second before remembering why she was there. "It's still dark..." she said slowly, still a little dazed from sleep.

Will grinned a little. "I know. I have something important to tell you."

Alyss frowned, not sure where this was going. She sat up and blinked a few times before standing up, Will standing with her. "What is it?"

Will closed his eyes, looking down, not entirely certain what he was supposed to do now. "Alyss," he began, "We've been friends for a really long time, right?"

Alyss nodded. "Right."

Will took a deep breath. "But I realized, when you'd been kidnapped by Keren, no I realized before then, I don't know when exactly, that...I love you."

Alyss nearly fell over. "Will..."

Will shook his head, kneeling and reaching into his pocket. "Before you say that we can only be friends will you let me finish? I worked really hard on this to make sure it was right, and there won't be fireworks or anything but, will you marry me?"

Alyss was now smirking, amused.

Will held up a small box, open to display a small silver ring with tiny oakleaves engraved on each side of a diamond. Alyss couldn't help but notice that Wills' hand was shaking so badly the box kept moving as well. "And even if you say no, you can keep the ring...?" he was pretty sure he sounded totally pathetic.

Alyss was staring at him with an odd mix of confusion, amusement, and total awe.

Will sighed, closing the box and handing it to her. "I'm sorry..." he said quietly

Alyss shook her head. "For what? Of course I'll marry you!" she said, dropping to both knees and hugging him so hard that he could hardly breathe anymore.

Will was stunned. "Really? You will?"

Alyss nodded. "Why wouldn't I? Did you get the letter?"

Will frowned. "What letter?"

Alyss pulled back a little, giving him a very confused expression. "I sent you a letter, right after I got home after we left Norgate. I sent it by pigeon."

Will raised an eyebrow."You did?"

This is why we don't leave important information in the care of birds.

_Our favourite place, we still love to go,  
That warm embrace we've come to know,  
That loving look that's in our eyes,  
I know in time we'll find that this is really no surprise._


End file.
